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- Seven
- New Line Cinema
One Of The Most Shocking Endings In Movie History Almost Didn't Happen
The making of Se7en was fortunately not as intense as what ended up on screen, although it was certainly eventful. Released in 1995, the film is widely considered to be one of the best, most harrowing pictures ever made about the quest for a serial slayer. In fact, it's so relentlessly dark and cynical that it makes The Silence of the Lambs feel like a Disney movie in comparison.Â
The story, of course, is about two detectives, Mills (Brad Pitt) and Somerset (Morgan Freeman), on the search for a psychopath whose crimes have been inspired by the seven deadly sins. Although very little violence occurs onscreen, the graphic aftermath of the killings is just as jarring today as it was decades. That's because director David Fincher made every effort to create a pervasive sense of dread, the likes of which few films accomplished before or since.Â
A lot went into creating that vibe and making the movie unforgettable. These Se7en behind-the-scenes stories will reveal the actors who almost snagged the lead roles, the struggles of the performers who played the victims, the way the filmmakers took every precaution to make sure their challenging story wasn't compromised, and much more.Â
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Leland Orser Stayed Up For Two Whole Days Before Filming His Big Scene
Actor Leland Orser is credited in Se7en as "Crazed Man in Massage Parlor." It was a relatively early role for the man who would go on to become a reliable and prolific character actor. He plays the guy who unwillingly commits the "Lust" slaying. To get himself in the right mindset and convey the character's distraught and traumatized state, Orser decided to stay up the night before shooting his big scene.
There was just one problem. As Orser explained in a Reddit AMA:
My scene was scheduled to shoot on a Monday morning, and on Monday morning, after I'd stayed up the whole night before, I got a call from my agent saying that my scene had been pushed until the next day. So the big question was 'Do I stay up all night Monday night, and do I sleep and screw up my whole process if I do?' So I decided to stay up all night Monday night as well. So I was so stressed, and not hungry, so I was in quite a messed up state of mind when I arrived Tuesday morning. They said I was first up Tuesday morning, and then they came into my trailer and said, 'Your scene has been pushed until the end of the day,' so it was quite torturous, but it all served the intensity of the scene at the end.
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John C. McGinley's Reaction To "Sloth" Was Totally Real
Of all the shocks in Se7en, the "Sloth" one is arguably the most potent. Mills and Somerset enter a bedroom where they find an emaciated body. The victim, according to photos found nearby, has been strapped to the bed for about a year. As SWAT team leader California (played by John C. McGinley) leans in, the body abruptly coughs, revealing that the man is actually still alive. California jumps backward in shocked surprise.
Actor Michael Reid Mackay plays the "Sloth" victim, and he was fitted with prosthetics and makeup for the scene, a process which took up to 14 hours. According to him, the sequence was shot multiple times, but the first take - in which he legitimately startled McGinley, who didn't know what was coming - is the one used in the movie.
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Brad Pitt Insisted On The Uncompromising Ending
Studios have a long history of softening edgy movies because they fear audiences will reject anything too unpleasant or challenging. Given that Se7en is continually disturbing, Brad Pitt knew that was a real possibility before he even signed on. He consequently told the studio he would only agree to make the movie if the climactic scene in which Mills is given his wife's head in a box was contractually required to remain in the film.
A similar problem reared its head when the movie was finished. The studio felt it would be more "heroic" if Mills didn't dispatch John Doe in retaliation, thereby giving him a win, and suggested ending it a tiny bit sooner. Again, Pitt pulled the star card, reminding studio executives that it was in his contract for this moment to remain in the film as well.
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John Doe's Notebooks Horrified Kinko's Employees
No one who has seen Se7en could forget the hideous images that fill up John Doe's notebooks. Of course, when the audience sees them, we know they're part of a movie about a serial slayer. The folks at a local Kinko's copy shop, who weren't aware of their intended purpose, got a genuine shock from the imagery on display in Doe's elaborate diaries.
After gathering all the disturbing photos and endless notes, the art department took them to a Kinko's to have them copied onto special pieces of plastic so that overlays could be placed on top of them. Employees there didn't know the gruesome pictures were meant for a major motion picture and were completely horrified by what they saw.
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Andrew Kevin Walker Mailed His Unsolicited Screenplay To A Noted Screenwriter On A Whim
Most aspiring screenwriters get an agent to represent their work, with the hope of making a sale and getting a film made. Se7en screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker took a different approach.
Despite having exactly zero credits to his name, he sent a copy of his script to David Koepp - the guy who adapted Jurassic Park and co-wrote Death Becomes Her - on a whim, totally unsolicited. That was gutsy enough. What he did next was even gutsier. Walker cold-called Koepp and asked him to give the script to an agent.
Koepp was impressed with what he read and subsequently gave the screenplay to his agent, who represented it around Hollywood.
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The Studio Accidentally Sent David Fincher The Wrong Script
Se7en would not be quite the harrowing movie it became had a silly slip-up not occurred. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation director Jeremiah Chechik was originally slated to direct the film. He requested screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker eliminate the now-famous "head in a box" ending.
When Chechik ended up departing the production, David Fincher was courted as a potential replacement. New Line Cinema accidentally sent him Walker's original draft. Upon realizing their mistake, they then sent the softened version Chechik had ordered. Fincher replied that he had no interest in making that version of the screenplay, but he would definitely be interested in making the version with the shocking finale.
